Thiago Almada explains how Lionel Messi has 'improved' MLS as he admits Argentina team-mate 'knew more' about U.S. soccer than him even before joining Inter Miami

The Argentina international, who now has eight Ballon d’Or triumphs to his name, bid farewell to European football when heading to the United States as a free agent in the summer of 2023. Messi made an immediate impact in America, as he inspired Inter Miami to a historic Leagues Cup crown, and has helped to raise both the profile and standard of MLS – with more household names expected to follow in his illustrious footsteps.

Atlanta United star Almada, who won the 2022 World Cup alongside Messi, has told ESPN of how his iconic countryman is raising the game in MLS: “It changed a lot with Messi. The football improved a lot. You can see that a lot more. It’s back and forth, there are a lot of goals. Sometimes it happened to us that we started winning and didn’t build on that, and we ended up losing. When Leo came, he knew more about MLS than I did. I spoke when we faced each other. He arrived and they started winning all the games.”

Almada was named MLS Young Player of the Year for 2023 – registering 11 goals and 19 assists during the regular season – and now has his sights set on securing a transfer elsewhere. He added on his own future, as he prepares to tread a path that Messi once did at Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain: “I want to go to Europe now. I would like to play in the Spanish La Liga. There was interest from Ajax before, which could not happen. Let's see now.”

Almada is a product of the academy system at Velez Sarsfield, but left his homeland in February 2022 when making his way to Atlanta. The talented 22-year-old now has four senior international caps to his name and will be hoping to earn a place in Argentina’s squad for the 2024 Copa America – which will be staged in the United States.